Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-01-27

w OSnSp NAlhO StlO1iulug UdCh OfcE ufIl,
and the awful cry of the strangling
book-keeper seemed wailing again in
his ears.
In a moment more Mrs. Brayton
called up the hill that they were GO
ing, and the young couple went down
the path and the carriage rolled away |
into the city.
That night the church choir in which |
Celeste sang met about her piano for |
practice, and John Earring excused |
himself and went away into the star
light with troubled heart. He did |
not give much heed to the way he went,
but walked on, thinking darkly of what !
Celeste had said. He knew that he
loved her now that this indefinable
danger lowered over them. The shock
that came with her words. though he
could not see to the bottom of what he
feared, had made his love for her as
plain to his feelings as stream of
light to the eye. 1t were much as If
she had started to slip from him, and
with the first throb of fear he felt how
in heart, in inclination, in intellect,
and in person, she was beautiful and
had melted into his being. After a
time he looked up as if something IA
miliar had come in his way, and saw
that he had returned to her gate. For
a moment he stood there looking up
| the pathway that led to the house, with
| the flood of light that came from the
| door and painted it white, thinking
| that tomorrow he would tell her all.
But did she love him? A tumult ran
| through his blood at the thought,
mingling gladness and dread in its
flight. Then the singing broke out
afresh, and he stood listening to Ce-
leste's voice coming to him through it
| all, and thought with a throb how far
| it had led him and how sweet and
sympathetic it was, like q crystal plct-
ure of her soul in sound. when a hand
touched his shoulder and with a start
he saw policeman standing by him.
| Sounds NICE" said the man, with
a nod toward the house. ''Who lives
| 'ere?"
..Mrs. Brayton," SAID John Earring,
looking at the man in his intent way.
Yes; will IL there young oman
named Bright Celestial, or some such
'eavenly andle to 'er. livin' 'ere?"
There izp Well, snag me! but hi
didn't believe i'm. Hi tole the Capin
the hole codger was crank, and had
about as much sense as 'ornet with
the 'eadache, but e sent me to see any
way, and shore enough!'
| .eWho are you talking about?', asked
the young man, knitting his brows and
feeling something like chill run over
him. At
..W'y, one of the beatenest hole flags
looked somethin' like a dead elm tree
when the bark's mostly peeled hoff an
it's turned ragged an white-come into
headquarters this evenin' with IL hyes
stickin' hout so as we could peck EN-
hoff with billy. an throwed liz grip
down shriekin' hout e was murderer
an wanted some place to die in! Hi
hain't been at the biz long. yit fol-
Tered the river twenty year an am con-
siderably used to sig hts, but snag me
| if hi didn't ave to old my false teeth
in with one hand shuck so, while hi led
i'm into a cell with tother!''
"WeH, hid no sooner got i'm onto q
, bunk" he went on, fore e begun q
rantin' about bein' murderer, an
Celestus Shine. or Bright, an sayin' e
wanted 'er fetched there to see i'm,
an hi told the Capin an we looked III
, the directory an shore enough it was
there, an hi come up to see.
John Earring turned sick at hear
and there was a buzzing sound in his
ears as he heard Celeste's sweet voice
, die away at the end of the anthem
7 Il will 90 with you," he said, huskily
: The man looked at him inquiringly
low bout the miss?h he asked. "B'
3 you FER brother?"
3 mo: a friend. l am visiting here
t She should not see such sight. "
CHATS so; you'll do as starter
l anyway. Mebby We can cover what
s rattlin' the loon. then if need be w
r can fetch the oman"
Y John Earling scarcely heard tn
mans lingual conglomerate as the,
r walked down the bluff and took ca
g into the city; his thoughts were goin,
o over and over again the dark field o
n probability. Was this elusive secre
}. toward which he had been movin:
Il vaguely all his life. to meet him at las
s lust when his days seemed breaking
o into blossom, with something destruc
q tive and appalling in it? He went for
ward with dread, yet with eager trem
q bling, and when he stood inside tn
|; cell and looked down upon the pal
y let there, his hands went up to hi
a throat and he stood still a moment t.
|, let dizzy faintness pass. There lay tn
L white wreck, seeming little more thai
o bones and eyes, beating his withere
:; hands to and fro, and rolling his hea
u upon the thin pillow in mop c
L whitest hair. The policeman too
e hold of the tossing hands and put ther
e down; the head stopped rolling, an
q the glazed eyes hunted for his face. l
Is moment they seemed adjusted t
d that rudy mark, and the drawn Lip
"a gasped: 'Did-you-bring-
g mo, er feller-'er friend come"
IS Again the staring eyes hunted unit
N at last they rested upon John Earring
= face. Then the skeleton-like tiguI
Q drew itself tremblingly up and leanin
II on its elbow peered at him. The plaC
70 &was lily lighted, and the sick, emaciate
e. old man with his vague, weary, wal
y dering look, to John Earring was inc,
y pressibly terrible. -
" "You-didn't-b bring me-anyb body,
e the parched lips said. "It's-only-
e him, and it-looks - like-her. to-
q I've seen them-always-
a and centuries - and centuries, the
~ know-it, they know - DONE
:. / wanted-to-tell--it -to-some-or
=. ~ -elsern then he laid tremblingly dow
T again. sa = ~a
The CLASSY eyes looked a long tin
IN up out of their hollow sockets into Il
at policeman's face, then the sick ms
rn said. slowly and haltingly: ''I-ney
told-no-one, but-it--don't mir
ce now. 1-ain't GOT far to go.
st Then he paused, breathing hard, az
IN looked intently into the face abo'
him &c if Strivipu tN COLLECT his mpr